Highlights

Before: Old gas station site. After: New firehouse in Trenton, New Jersey.

Brownfield is a term applied to a property where its expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance. There are several types of brownfields depending on the kind and/or source of the contamination. A petroleum brownfield is a type of brownfield where the contaminant is petroleum.

Petroleum can contaminate ground water, which is the source of drinking water for many communities. Petroleum brownfields, such as old abandoned gas stations, can be and are being cleaned up and reused. The EPA Office of Underground Storage Tanks and the EPA Brownfields Program jointly focus attention and resources on the cleanup and reuse of petroleum-contaminated sites. The Brownfields Program awards Brownfields grants for the assessment and cleanup of petroleum brownfields.